A review by readwithpongo
The Turnglass by Gareth Rubin

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

This is the first tête-bêche I’ve read! There are two unique plots: one setting in 1881 about a doctor who visits his family to take care of his uncle, an ill pastor, and uncovers family secrets that include the pastor’s sister-in-law, who was deemed insane for killing her husband; the other setting in 1939 about an aspiring doctor who meets an author who writes a novel that has hidden truths to his little beother’s abduction and mother’s death. The 1881 story is definitely more intriguing for me. I like reading the thought process of the main characters, they’re always so intuitive and logical. I really like how the 1881 story has a more romanticized style of writing and differs from that of the 1939 story. The book is slower-paced than what I usually enjoy, but overall, the author did a wonderful job with intertwining the two stories! The endings for both were satisfying.